Self-cleaning shower-head.



W. A. SPEAKMAN.

SELF CLEANING suowen HEAD.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I7, I915.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

J" yen to r #1214 62. A 6mm;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.

WILLARD A SPEAKMAN, 01E WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO SPEAKMAN SUPPLY & PIPE COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

heads or spray nozzles of the kind used in shower baths, and the object of the invention is to provide simple and eifectlve means whereby the nozzle orifices are automatically cleaned. The accomplishment of this object is highly desirable from a practical standpoint. In the ordinary use of an ordinary shower head much difiiculty has been experienced from the clogging or partially clogging of the orifices, this clogging being due to deposits from the water passing through the shower head, as well as from sand or other foreign matter carried into the shower head with the water. The complete or partial clogging of even a comparatively small fraction of thetotal number of orifices substantially reduces the effectiveness of the shower head and if the clogging effect is considerable, endangers the life of the shower head as a whole in many cases. This is due to the fact that in practical use, a shower head is not intended to withstand the full water pressure of the supply source, the orifices normally operating to relieve the pressure in the shower head, and when the orifices clog up the resultant building up of pressure in the shower head is apt to rupture the head. The manual cleaning of shower heads from time to time is an expensive and annoying proceeding, especially in cases of hotels and like institutions where there may be hundreds of shower heads in a single installation.

I accomplish the object of the present invention by providing means for automatically causing cleaning fingers to move into and out of the nozzle orifices as the water pressure is turned on and off the shower head. To do this I provide means for utilizing the pressure changes in the shower head as the water is turned on and ofl to bring about a relative movement between the orifice member of the shower head and the Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

Application filed September 17, 1915. Serial No. 51,145.

cleaning fingers. In the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated I also utilize the last mentioned means to open and close an air vent from the shower head as the water is turned on and off, as the opening of such an air vent when the water is turned off to thereby prevent or minimize the retention of water in the shower head after the supply of water to the head is cut off.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompany: ing drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention.

. Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a shower head constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig, 2 is a sectionalview taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shower head, and

Fig. 4 is a view taken similarly to Fig. 1 illustrating a modification.

In the drawings:

A represents the shell of the shower head comprising a conical portion to which the supplypipe may be connected, and a cylindrical body portion. An annular member A threaded on to the large end of the easing A forms in efi'ect an inturned flange at the free end of the cylindrical portion of the casing. Secured within the casing A at the top of the cylindrical portion thereof, is an apertured plate B. As shown,the plate B is secured in lace 'by the screws C, and D represents a gas et or packing washer interposed between the casing and the member B adjacent the periphery of the latter. Secured to the member B is the upper end of a cylindrical bellows E formed ofsuitable flexible resilient metal, and to the lower end of the bellows E is secured the orifice membet or disk F The latter is formed with the usual spray orifices F and as shown, these orifices are arranged in circular rows opening at the crowns of circular grooves F formed in the under and outer side of the member F. As shown, the member F is' fingers G are in the form of small rods orwires having sharpened ends proje .ting into I the orifices F and having enlarged heads G at their opposite ends. The fingers G pass loosely through apertures formed to receive them in the plate B and are held against displacement by means of the cover plate H fastened to the inner side'of the disk B as by screws H The disk B is formed with large apertures B, and the cover H with registering apertures H to permit the free flow of water through these members.

Advantageously asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, a vent valve I is provided controlling an air vent A formed in the conical portion of the shower head. A spring J, acting between the casing A and a stop I carried by the stem I of the valve I, tends to hold the valve seated, but when the orifice member F occupies its retracted position shown in Fig. 1, the shoulder F formed for the purpose on the member F, engages the end of the stem I? and lifts the valve I off its seat thus opening the air vent A In the normal condition of the apparatus as shown. in' Fig. 1, in which the shower head is closed off from the source of water under pressure, the orifice member F is held in a retracted. position by the resiliency of the metallic bellows E. In its retracted position, the sharpened outer end of each cleaning finger G passes through the restricted portion of the orifice F and the parts are so proportioned that the portion of each cleaning finger entering the restricted ortion of the corresponding orifice substantially fills the latter. When the water is turned on to the shower head, the first effect is to build up the pressure in the shower head, and-this expands the bellows and moves the orifice member F out until it engages the stop formed-by the annular cap member A as shown in Fig. 2. In this condition of the apparatus the cleaning fingers G are entirely out of the restricted portions of the orifices F and do not interfere with the free discharge through the orifices F. When the water is again turned off the orifice member F is again retracted by the resiliency of the 'bellows E and the parts are returned to the position shown in Fig. 1. This operates effectively to keep the orifices in the orifice member F clean. As the member F moves into the position shown in Fig. '2, the valve I seats and closes the on the valve I in the direction tending to open it. On the return of the orifice member F to the position shown in Fig. 1, the valve I is lifted off its seat opening the air vent A tionable tendency of the apparatus to retain water in the shower head for a considerable time and which is partially discharged whenever the shower head is touched or the pipe connection thereto is agitated or vibrated.

By arranging the orifices F to open in grooves or recesses in the outer wall of the orifice member it is possible to have the cleaning fingers project entirely through the orifices as shown in Fig. 1, while at the same time the ends of these fingers are shielded so that there is small chance of injurious contact therewith.

Instead of relying wholly or partially on the resiliency of the metallic bellows E to retract the orifice member, a spring or the like may be used for this purpose, as shown in Fig. 4.-, for instance. In Fig. 4 a pin K threaded into a central socket formed on the inner side of the orifice member FA acts in conjunction with the spring L to retract This greatly reduces the objecthe orifice member FA when the water pressure is turned off.

The portion of the casing shell A below the seat for the-plate B and gasket D serves not only as a stop to limit the expansion of the bellows E, but also as a protecting shield for the latter. 4,

I have referred herein to the parts as though 'the spray discharge were downward. This is the usual direction of discharge but the present invention is obviously not dependent on any particular direction of discharge. While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described the best forms of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes can be made in the form of my invention without departing from its spirit, and that some features of'my invention can be used without a corresponding use of other features of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A spray head having 'a movable wall portion formed with jet orifices, means tending to hold said wall portion in aretracted position but yielding to allow said wall portion to move outward on an increase in the fluid pressure in said head, and orifice cleaning means rendered operative by the movements of said portion to clean said orifices.

2. A spray' head having a movable wall portion formed with discharge orifices, means tending to hold said wall portion in a retracted position but yielding to permit said wall portion to move outward on an increase in the fluid pressure in said head, and cleaning fingers mounted in said head and projecting into said orifices when said wall portion is in its retracted position.

3. A spray head having a movable'wall portion formed with discharge orifices conically enlarged at their inner ends, means tending to hold said wall portion in a retracted position but yielding to permit said wall portion to move outward on an increase in the fluid pressure in said head, and cleani'ng fingers mounted invsaid head and projecting into said orifices when said wall portion is in its retracted position.

4. A spra head having a movable wall portion wit recesses in its outer surface and discharge orifices opening into said recesses, means tending to hold said wall portion in a retracted position but yielding to permit said wall portion to move outward on an increase in the fluid pressure in said head, and cleaning fingers mounted in said head and extendin out through said orifices when said wal portion is retracted.

5. A spray head casing comprising, an expansible bellows, a member connected to and closing one end of said bellows and formed with discharge orifices and cleanin fingers connected to the other end of sai bellows entering said orifices when said bellows is contracted.

6. A spray head comprising an expansible casing provided with restricted discharge orifices and adapted to contract and expand as the internal pressure decreases and increases, and a valve controlling a vent from said casing and caused to open and close said vent by the contraction and expansion of said casing.

7. A spray head comprising an expansible casing adapted to contract and expand as the internal pressure decreases and increases and formed with discharge orifices in a movable wall portion thereof and with a vent in a stationary wall portion thereof, cleaning fingers mounted in said casing and extending into said orifices when said casing is contracted and a valve controlling said vent and caused to open and close said vent by the contraction and expansion of said casing.

8. A spray head comprising a rigid shell and an expansible bellows connected at one end to said shell and open at that end to the interior of said shell, an orifice member secured to, and extending across the opposite end of said bellows and formed with discharge orifices, said shell being extended to form an open ended shield surrounding said bellows and a sto to en age the free end of said bellows an limit t e expansion of the latter.

WILLARD A. SPEAKMAN. 

